Metal fabric and process for manufacturing the same



"June16, 1931. L, RADO 1,810,438

METAL FABRIC AND PROCESS FOR mmumc'runme THE SAME Filed Sept. 1, 192aPatented June 16, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE LEOPOLID OF HALENSEE,BERLIN, GERMANY METAL FABRIC AN D PROCESS FOR llfANUFACT'URING THE SAMEApplication filed September 1, 1928, Serial No. 303,608, and in GermanyApril 7, 19 28.

This invention relates to metal fabric and a process for manufacturingthe same.

It is quite common to work strips of thin leaf metal particularlyaluminium foil into different kinds of fabrics. The surface of the basemetal foil used for this purpose loses its original polish and colour,in. course of time, owing to oxidation and the fabric consequently losesits appearance. Apart from these disadvantages, which are inherent inthe products hitherto known, considerable difliculty is encountered inthe treatment of the metal strips themselves. As thin metal strips onlypossess a very low tensile strength, it is extraordinarily difiicult towork with such material, owing to continual breakage and the work isvery troublesome and lengthy. Only very thick metallic strips couldtherefore be used up to the present as only such can stand up to thestresses set up in the working; this considerably increases the cost ofthe fabric. L

One object of the present invention as to produce metal fabric whichdoes not tarnish.

Another object is to provide a fabric formed of strips of metal foilwhich have substantial tensile strength.

It has now been discovered that the disadvantages aforementioned can beovercome even when using very thin metal leaf, if such leaf is firstcoated on both sides with a transparent layer of cellulose hydrate orsimilar products *(called cellulose skin or, more briefly, cellulose).By treating such metallic strips in this mannena metal fabric can beproduced in which the individual strips of metal of the fabric arecoated on both sides with a layer of cellulose hydrate. The strips. arepreferably produced by uniting the thin metal leaf, for examplealuminium foil, by means of a suitable adhe' sive, such as for examplerubber solution, gelatine solution, celluloid solution or other suitabletransparent adhesive, with a thin layer of cellulose hydrate'and thencutting the compound foilinto strips. These strips are then wound up onspools either as they are or after being twisted and the desired fabricis produced in the usual manner by twisting or weaving. Thestrips caneither be used alone or along with other material, for example bywinding the plain or twisted strips around another textile thread. Thestrips described above are suitable as weft and warp and can thereforebe used bothas longitudinal strips and also as transverse strips in thefabric.

It has been found that this product has, for all practical purposes notendency to break. As a result of the diiference in the co-efiicients ofexpansion of metal andcellulose, however, a cellulose coating tends tostrip from the metal layer. This is particularly the case in the stripmaterial used here, as the adhering faces of the metal and its cellulosecoating are extremely narrow and consequently the two layers are easilyrubbed apart. This scraping away is assisted by the well known propertyof cellulose coatings of warping and bending on the slightest alterationof the moisture content, even that produced by changes. in theatmospheric conditions.

These disadvantages. may be overcome by a further feature of the presentinvention according to which the cellulose layers are renderednon-sensitive to the action of the moisture by a coating of waterresistant material, for example celluloid solution cellulose nitrate orother ester solution or the like. This step is particularly efficaciouswhen the cellulose strips are completely enclosed by the water resistingcoating both over the surface and also over the edges and corners.

According to one. method of carrying out the invention, the strips forthe production of the metal fabric are obtained by securing to the metalstrips a layer of cellulose coated over both the surface and also theedges with water resistant material. It is preferable however, to cutthe metal foil into strips after having coated it on one or both sideswith a cellulose coating and then to provide the separate compoundstrips with the coating of water resistant substance. In this way ametal fabric can be produced in which, according to the invention, thecellulose layer covering the metal strips or the whole compound stripsare provided with a coating of water resistant material, such as forexample nitro-cellulose,

celluloid solution or the like. Fabrics of all viding the coated metalfoil into strips of kinds may be produced according to the in vention,such as lace, brocade, and similar products and are capable of variousindustrial applications.

Referring to the accompanyin drawings, Figure 1 is a vertical section 0the coated metal foil.

Figure 2 is a perspective View, partly in section of the coated metalfoil.

Figure 3 shows a fabric constructed from coated metal foil strips.

In the various figures, a represents the metal foil,.b and c arecellulose foils and d represents strips of metal coated foil.

Both the metal foil and the cellulose coat ing can be dyed, printed orimpregnated in any suitable manner. The finished fabric can also be dyedby means of suitable transparent dyestufis or printed by means ofsuitable printing rollers.. .Thus any desired technical effect can beobtained.

The finished fabric can also be mounted by means of any suitableadhesive on various bases such as for example, paper, fabrics,celluloid, leather, wood or the like and so produce a combined fabricsuitable for very varied purposes. When using elastic or resilientbacking such as fabric, leather, rubber or the like it is preferable touse rubber solution as the adhesive. Acombined fabric of: this type canbe dyed, painted or printed in any suitable manner and can be made intofinished goods of all types by stitching or other means.

The metal fabric according to the invention can be used in the hand bagindustry, for book-binding, ladies hats, belts, ribbons, motifs, basketwork, shawls, tapestry, particularly carpets, shoes, upholsterymaterials and the like.

The strips used according to the invention are also suitable for themanufacture of cord or the like, in which the strips can be used eitherin the plain form or twisted or wound about other textile fibre.

I declare that what I claim is 1. Metal fabric woven from strips ofmetal foil first coated with cellulose hydrate, then coated with a waterresisting layer.

' 2. In the process of producing metal fabric woven from strips of metalfoil, the step which consist in coating metal foil on both sides with alayer of cellulose hydrate previously coated over both the surface andalso the edges with water resistant material and dividing said coatedfoil into strips.

3. In the process of producing metal fabric the step which consists incoating metal foil on both sides with a cellulose hydrate,

dividing said coated foil into narrow strips and then coating saidstrips over their faces and edges with a water resisting layer.

4. The process of producing coated metalfoil strips which comprisescoating metal foil with cellulose hydrate foil and then didesired width.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name this 3rd day ofAugust, 1928.

LEQPOLD RADO.

